A poll of 1,000 parents carried out as part of the Hello campaign – a national drive by The Communication Trust to improve standards of speech, language and listening - found that 54% of parents allow their children to watch television programmes aimed at adults, with an astonishing 78% of parents saying their children were allowed to watch two hours of unsupervised television daily. 25% of parents admitted using the television as a babysitter.
The most popular shows for children to watch are Eastenders and Coronation Street.
Wendy Lee, spokeswoman for the campaign, said: “Parents play a crucial role in supporting their children’s communication development. This survey highlights they are not suffering from ‘guilt overload’ but there are areas where parents would benefit from more information and advice.
“Chatting about characters, making up stories and even acting out adventures can help parents to develop their child’s language and communication.”
iMama.tv Expert and Clinical psychologist Sarah Helps says tv can be fine when you and your child need a bit of downtime to unwind however she cautions against keeping the telly on all day.
What do you think of the findings? Is your child a telly addict? Join the discussion...
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